Watch

ABSTRACT

A watch to assist a smoker to break the smoking habit comprises a standard watch mechanism including hour, minute and second indicators, an additional minute indicator that is resettable to zero by the momentary depression of a first switch, a counter with a rotatable indicator that is incrementally displaced by the momentary depression of a second switch and a manually rotatable graduated dial mounted about the periphery of the watch crystal.

United States Patent Inventor Richard E. Rudolph Elkins Park, Pa. Appl.No. 835,370 Filed Jane 23, 1969 Patented Aug. 3, i971 Assignee RichardE. Rudolph Philadelphia. Pa.

WATCH 5 Claim, 2 Drawing Figs.

U.S.Cl. 58/152,

58/126 B Int. Cl G04b 37/12 FieldoiSearch ..58/l26, 152 G, I26 8, 91,52

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS McMillen 58/126 3/1964 Brunet3.190.022 6/1965 Mal!l'c.... 5s/152x 3,415,902 11/1969 Wessel 58/126FOREIGN PATENTS 339,887 9/1959 Switzerland 58/152 375.663 4/1964Switzerland... 58/152 1.502.690 10/1967 France 58/126 PrimaryExaminer-Richard B. Wilkinson Assistant Examiner-S. Wal Attorney-Seidel,Gonda & Goldhammer ABSTRACT: A watch to assist a smoker to break thesmoking habit comprises a standard watch mechanism including hour,minute and second indicators, an additional minute indicator that isresettable to zero by the momentary depression of a first switch, acounter with a rotatable indicator that is incrementally displaced bythe momentary depression of a second switch and a manually rotatablegraduated dial mounted about the periphery of the watch crystal.

'PATENTED Am; alsm FIG.

ZZZ SJ 24 -5 36 L0 9, ff, Q /2 9 2 26 Z2 /4 s l s I6 28 /8 FIG. 2

INVENTOR RICHARD E. RUDOLPH BY WM {Mm ATTORNEYS.

WATCH This invention relates to a watch. More particularly, thisinvention relates to a watch that is designed to help a smoker break thesmoking habit.

ltis now almost universally recognized that smoking is dangerous tohealth. Besides smokers cough and numerous other minor ailments, it isnow believed that smoking causes emphysema, lung cancer, heart diseaseand other major circulatory diseases. Actuarial proof has shown thatnonsmokers live longer than smokers. Because of this, life insurancecompanies offer lower premiums to individuals who do not smoke.

Besides being detrimental to a smokers health and well-being, smoking isan expensive habit. Although the cost of the production of cigarettes isnot excessively high, the taxes levied-upon cigarettes by federal andstate ofl'tcials are substantial. Accordingly, the cost of theproduction of cigarettes added to the substantial taxes levied thereonresults in a habit that is not inexpensive to maintain.

in view of the above, many smokers have expressed the desire to forsakethe smoking habit. However, the average smoker usually experiences greatdifficulty in breaking the smoking habit.

' Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to help a smokerforsake the smoking habit.

it is a further object of this invention to provide a watch that willhelp a smoker forsake the smoking habit.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

Clinical observations over many years have shown that the urgent cravingfor a cigarette may be likened to the pangs of hunger. However, althoughthe pangs of hunger become increasingly greater if not satisfied, thepangs of smoking have a very short duration irrespective of whetherthese pangs are satisfied or not.

it is known that the urge to smoke is in an acute stage from 2 to 5minutes only no matter how many cigarettes are smoked per day. Forexample, if one normally smokes one pack of cigarettes a day, an urge tosmoke will occur every 30 to 45 minutes and last for a duration of about2 to 5 minutes. if one smokes three packs of cigarettes a day, the urgeto smoke will occur every to minutes but each urge will last only from 2to 5 minutes.

Thus, if an individual can withstand the urge to smoke a cigaretteduring the critical 5-minute period, the urge will pass and will notreoccur until another cigarette would normally be smoked.

in accordance with the present invention, a special watch is provided toenable a smoker to control his desire to smoke during these periods whenhe would normally smoke a cigarette.

For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in thedrawings a form which is presently preferred, it being understood,however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangementsand instrumentalities shown.

FIG. 1 is a top view of the watch of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the watch of the present invention showing it ingreater detail.

Referring tothe drawings in particular, wherein like numerals designatelike elements, there is shown in FIG. I the watch of the presentinvention generally designated as 10. The watch may be worn upon thewrist of a smoker through the use of straps 38 and 40.

Crystal 14 covers a dial plate carrying the face 12 of the watch. lnnerdial in the form of an annulus 16 is mounted underneath the crystal atthe periphery of face 12. Outer dial i8 is not covered by crystal 14 butlies exterior thereto. Outer dial also in the form of an annulus I8 islocated about the periphery of crystal 14.

Besides providing means for helping a smoker break the smoking habit,the watch also provides the time of day. in this regard, hour indicator32 and minute indicator 34 function to accurately portray the time.Also, seconds indicator 30 rotates directly above seconds face 28 inorder to accurately indicate the passage of seconds.

Day indicator 26 whose function will be explained hereinafter is locatedunderneath crystal [4. Similarly, resettable indicator 36 whose functionwill be explained. hereinafter is located underneath crystal l4. f

Watch 10 contains a conventional watch movement (not shown) therein.Shaft 20 acts as a control for this conventional watch movement. Thus,shaft 20 may be rotated in orderto wind the watch. Also, as is done inconventional watch movements, shaft 20 may be pulled out in order to setthe accurate time on the face of the watch.

Resettable indicator 36 may be actuated to sweep across face 12 onceeach hour to indicate the minutes elapsed since its actuation. Theindicator may be reset to its zero position by shaft 22. Both indicator36 and shaft 22 are connected to a stop watchlike movement so that upondepression of shaft 22 the normal rotation of indicator 36 is stoppedand is returned to its zero position. Thus, as is apparent, depressionof shaft 22 serves to simultaneously stop the normal rotation ofindicator 36 and return it to zero.

inner dial [6 is mounted about the periphery of face 12 and locatedunderneath crystal 14. As shown in FIG. 2 inner dial 16 has calibrationsdesignated generally as 46. A conventional stepping mechanism (notshown) is utilized to incrementally rotatc inner dial l6one incrementupon the momentary depression of shaft 24.

Outer dial it! is located on the exterior of the watch about theperiphery of crystal 14. As shown in FIG. 2 outer dial [8 is dividedinto 60 equal divisions separated by calibrations designated as 48.Outer dial 18 may be manually incrementally rotated for reasonshereinafter explained. index 50 serves as a zero point for outer dial18.

in order that the time may be accurately portrayed on face 12,calibrations 52 accurately divide the periphery of face 12 into 60 equalpartitions.

Face 12 has red zone 42 painted thereon. Red zone 42 represents a2-minute segment. Face 12 also has yellow zone 44 painted thereon.Yellow zone 44 is representative of a 3- minute segment following the2-minute segment represented by red zone 42. in order to distinguishresettable indicator 36 from hour indicator 32 and minute indicator 34,resettable indicator 36 is painted a color distinctively different fromthe colors of hour indicator 32 and minute indicator 34.

The watch of the present invention may be utilized to help a smokerbreak the smoking habit in the following manner. When the smoker wearingthe watch feels an urge to smoke, he depresses shaft 22 which causesresettable indicator 36 to reset to its zero position. if the smoker canwithstand the urge to smoke during the critical 2 to 5 minute periodimmediately after the urge to smoke has occurred, the smoker will nothave a recurrence of the urge to smoke until another cigarette wouldnormally be smoked. Thus, the smoker by observing the watch will realizethat the urge to smoke will be greatest while resettable indicator 36lies within red zone 42. The smoker will also realize that anappreciable urge to smoke will remain while rcsettable indicator 36 lieswithin yellow zone 44. By knowing when the urge to smoke is maximized,the smoker can summon enough willpower to successfully withstand theurge to smoke during this critical period.

Since resettable indicator 36 rotates at the speed of a minute hand, theoccurrence of the next urge to smoke will notify the smoker of theelapsed time in minutes between urges to smoke. By mentally keepingtrack of the time between urges, the smoker can successfully prolong theperiod between urges to smoke.

After the smoker has gone 1 day without smoking, he may reset dayindicator 26 to the 1" position thus indicating the number of days hehas abstained from smoking. Thus, day indicator 26 will function toindicate the number of days of abstention from smoking. Day indicator 26may be the conventional calendar movement (not shown) used in aconventional calendar watch. Thus, day indicator 26 may be reset to thel position through rotation of shaft 20 as is done in conventionalcalendar watch movements.

Each time an urge to smoke occurs, the smoker may momentarily depressshaft 24 which causes inner dial 16 to be rotated one position.Therefor, throughout the day, the smoker may keep track of how manyurges he has successfully withstood. This is important because it allowsthe smoker to know how well he is doing and thereby encourages him to doeven better.

in the event that the smoker cannot successfully withstand an urge tosmoke, outer dial 18 may be manually rotated one division for eachcigarette smoked in order to keep track of the number of cigarettessmoked during the day. This helps the smoker to break the smoking habitbecause it forces him to keep track of every cigarette smoked during theday.

it is known that in the course of giving up smoking, the desire for foodbecomes more intensified. Accordingly, weight problems may accompany anattempt to forsake the smoking habit. if the smoker has successfullywithstood the many urges to smoke during the day, he will have no needto record the number of cigarettes smoked each day on outer dial 18.Therefore, outer dial 18 can be used as a calorie counter. if each ofthe 60 equal divisions on outer dial 18 represents 50 calories, it ispossible to keep an accurate check of 3,000 calories per day.

The watch of the present invention may be used for other purposesbesides helping a smoker break the smoking habit. For example, the watchmay be used as a diet aid. Resettable indicator 36 may be utilized tokeep track of the elapsed time between urges to eat. inner dial 16 maybe utilized to count the number of days maintained on the diet. Asdescribed above, outer dial 18 may be utilised to monitor the caloricintake per day.

The watch of the present invention can also function as a parking meterguard. When a coin is inserted in the parking meter, resettableindicator 36 may be set to its zero position by the momentary depressionof shaft 22. if the meter allows l-hour parking in consideration for thecoin inserted therein, the individual will realize that the time allowedby the meter will expire when resettable indicator 36 traverses onerevolution.

Thus, the timing mechanism of the present invention performs manyfunctions. it performs the function of a conventional watch byaccurately giving the time of day. it also functions as an aid tosmokers who are desirous of breaking the smoking habit. The timingmechanism of the present invention also functions as an aid to dietwatchers. in addition, the watch of the invention may act as a parkingmeter guard. Qthor uses of the watch of the present invention will beobvious to the reader.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms withoutdeparting from the spirit or essential attributes thereof.

lclaim:

l. A watch comprising a watch case, a dial plate disposed in said watchcase, a zero position defined on said dial plates, said dial platedefining two sectors disposed in side-by-side relation with one of saidsectors having its boundary remote from said other sector aligned withsaid zero position, the arcuate sum of said two sectors being equal toabout 5 minutes measured from said zero position, a minute handrotatably supported by said watch to normally move over said dial plateabout a central axis so that it moves in a complete revolution in 1hour, means for selectively returning said minute hand to said zeroposition, said minute hand and said sectors cooperating to give agraphic portrayal of the periods of intense desire to light a cigarette.

2. A watch as defined in claim 1 including a first annular dial mountedfor rotation about said central axis, said dial being disposed on theperiphery of said dial plate and being divided into a plurality ofregular arcuatc increments, means supported by said watch beingoperative to selectively rotate said first annular dial about saidcentral axis through one in crement so that said first dial may functionas a first counter,

and said means for selectively rotating said first dial about saidcentral axis is operative to override said incremental rotation torotate said first dial to a predetermined position.

3. A watch as defined in claim 1 including a second annular dial mountedfor rotation about said central axis, said second dial being disposed onsaid watch case concentrically outwardly of said first dial and having aplurality of indicia deposed thereon, and means on the outer peripheryof said second dial for rotating it about said central axis.

4. A watch as defined in claim 1 wherein each of said sectors is adifferent color, and each of said different colors is different from thecolor ofsaid dial plate.

5. A watch comprising a watch case, a dial plate disposed in said watchcase, a minute hand rotatably supported by said watch to normally moveover said dial plate about a central axis so that it moves in a completerevolution in 1 hour, a zero position defined on said dial plate, andmeans for selectively stopping the normal rotation of said minut handand simultaneously returning it to said zero position.

1. A watch comprising a watch case, a dial plate disposed in said watchcase, a zero position defined on said dial plates, said dial platedefining two sectors disposed in side-by-side relation with one of saidsectors having its boundary remote from said other sector aligned withsaid zero position, the arcuate sum of said two sectors being equal toabout 5 minutes measured from said zero position, a minute handrotatably supported by said watch to normally move over said dial plateabout a central axis so that it moves in a complete revolution in 1hour, means for selectively returning said minute hand to said zeroposition, said minute hand and said sectors cooperating to give agraphic portrayal of the periods of intense desire to light a cigarette.2. A watch as defined in claim 1 including a first annular dial mountedfor rotation about said central axis, said dial being disposed on theperiphery of said dial plate and being divided into a plurality ofregular arcuate increments, means supported by said watch beingoperative to selectively rotate said first annular dial about saidcentral axis through one increment so that said first dial may functionas a first counter, and said means for selectively rotating said firstdial about said central axis is operative to override said incrementalrotation to rotate said first dial to a predetermined position.
 3. Awatch as defined in claim 1 including a second annular dial mounted forrotation about said central axis, said second dial being disposed onsaid watch case concentrically outwardly of said first dial and having aplurality of indicia deposed thereon, and means on the outer peripheryof said second dial for rotating it about said central axis.
 4. A watchas defined in claim 1 wherein each of said sectors is a different color,and each of said different colors is different from the color of saiddial plate.
 5. A watch comprising a watch case, a dial plate disposed insaid watch case, a minute hand rotatably supported by said watch tonormally move over said dial plate about a central axis so that it movesin a complete revolution in 1 hour, a zero position defined on said dialplate, and means for selectively stopping the normal rotation of saidminute hand and simultaneously returning it to said zero position.